Kukla's Korner Hockey

It would be one thing if the second-year players who showed promise in smaller roles last season were the cause of this. Then you could talk about experience and improvement. But with the exception of Sean Couturier, who turned 20 in December, they have handled the added pressure. Brayden Schenn has 14 points. Read, now sidelined for 6 weeks with a rib injury, had 13 points.

It would be one thing if this was a goalie thing. It's not. Ilya Bryzgalov might not have been his sharpest in the two games since Monday's shutout of the Islanders, but he's hardly the root of their uneven play.

No, this is about personnel, about the plain and simple truth that these Flyers have all the birthmarks of mediocrity. They don't finish very well, and their mistakes are too often eye-shielding. They score too few goals and they allow too many.

Hockey's a simple game. And the simple truth right now is that this team just isn't good.